Captain, My Captain
by Allen the Musician
Summary: Now that Toushirou Hitsugaya has graduated from the Shinigami Academy, in record time no less, he is poised to become a true Shinigami. But to which squad will he belong? And the bigger question, can his mental health survive? My 50th fanfiction. R


Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Captain, My Captain

Although no one would ever have been able to tell by his outward appearance Toushirou Hitsugaya was excited. Today was the day that he had been looking forward to for so long, the day that he graduated from the Shinigami Academy and after the ceremony he would finally be able to call himself a full fledged Shinigami. All that would be left after that would be to find out to which squad he would belong.

Unlike Momo, who had her heart set on joining Squad Five due to an obsession that she had developed for the captain, Toushirou could honestly say that he couldn't care less to which squad he was assigned. In all honesty he knew very little about any of them, just random bits of history that he picked up during his studies, and in his eyes one was just as good as the next.

"Shirou-chan!"

The young prodigy cringed as he heard the sound of Momo calling out to him, as always using that vile nickname. He would make certain that this habit of hers was put to a stop after today. After all she had agreed to call him by his last name if he graduated the Academy at the same time that she did.

And today he was poised to do just that.

"What is it Bed-wetter Momo?"

Momo narrowed her eyes at his use of this nickname however Toushirou felt absolutely no remorse for his actions. If she was going to insist on using a nickname that she knew he despised then it was only fair that he return the favor. Toushirou thought for a moment that she was going to start a fight with him however only a few seconds passed before Momo returned to her normal, bubbly self. "Can you believe that in a few hours time we'll be real Shinigami?"

"Yes," Toushirou replied, rolling his eyes. It wasn't as if this were some miraculous occurrence. They had both been studying for it, she even longer than he himself, and it was only natural that their study should bear fruit. It was very believable.

"I really hope that I get assigned to Squad Five," Momo said as she gazed down at the boy that she had been friends with for so long.

"I know," Toushirou muttered, having heard way more than he ever needed to about Captain Aizen, the man in charge of Squad Five. For his part he was actually hoping that he didn't end up in that particular squad for much the same reason.

"We'll find out soon," Momo said with a smile and it was obvious that she was really looking forward to that moment.

* * *

"Captain Isshin!"

The door of the office slid open to reveal a tall man wearing the standard shihakusho, with the addition of a white haori worn over one shoulder. The man's dark eyes sought out the source of the voice and he smiled as he gazed upon his vice-captain. "You called?"

The busty blond woman who was his second in command offered the man a broad smile. "Yes Captain Isshin. I was just thinking that we should go over to the Academy and watch the ceremony."

Isshin was well aware of the fact that she was just suggesting this little trip so that she could avoid doing the stack of paperwork that had been sitting on her desk for the better part of a week however he didn't really want to do his work either so he nodded his head in agreement. "That sounds like a wonderful idea Rangiku-san."

Matsumoto was overjoyed that her captain was actually agreeing that they should attend the graduation. It was more than she could have hoped for.

Isshin quickly pulled off the white haori that he had been wearing, placing it across the chair that was positioned behind his desk. "It's too hot for the haori. Let's go."

Matsumoto's smile widened and she fell into step behind her captain.

Isshin smiled as he watched his second in command fall into step behind him. He knew that she wanted to attend this ceremony solely so that she could put off doing her paperwork however he thought that seeing the Academy graduates was a good idea since they would more than likely be getting some of them afterwards.

* * *

"I still can't get over how adorable you look in your uniform Shirou-chan," Momo exclaimed as Toushirou joined her and the other graduating students of the Academy.

Toushirou blew out a frustrated breath, which caused the lock of hair that insisted on hanging in front of his left eye blow slightly outward. The uniform that he was wearing was exactly the same as the uniform that all Shinigami wore and he didn't understand why the hell she found it so damn cute. The students had abandoned the colored uniforms that had signified their status as students in favor of the black and white shihakusho that the true Shinigami wore.

"If you hug me I will hit you," Toushirou muttered in a deadly serious tone, his teal eyed gaze locked on Momo.

Momo looked momentarily disappointed however the look was replaced by one of excitement when the instructor informed them that it was time for the ceremony.

Toushirou was less enthusiastic about the news. He was already bored to tears and just wanted to get this over with so that he could find out to which squad he had been assigned and get on with life. The young prodigy had graduated top of a class that he hadn't even started in but even this failed to illicit any excitement from the boy.

He merely stared glassy eyed at the instructor until the ceremony was complete.

"All right," the instructor called out once the formal ceremony had come to an end. "A list has been placed on the bulletin board in the main lobby of the Academy building. You may all go there now and find out which squad you now belong in."

And for the last time the students heard, "Dismissed."

"Let's go Shirou-chan!" Momo exclaimed excitedly, seizing her friend by the hand and pulling him forcefully along behind her.

"Hitsugaya!" the boy snapped.

Paying no heed to his correction Momo proceeded to pull Toushirou along until the two young Shinigami arrived at the main Academy building. Thanks to the fact that Momo had became adept at the flash-step during her training the two of them arrived before most of the other students and were able to get a good look at the list before the room became to crowded.

"I'm in Squad Five!" she squealed as her eyes fell upon her name.

Rolling his eyes Toushirou scanned the list for his own name and found that he had been placed in Squad Ten. Well that wasn't so bad he supposed, at least it wasn't Squad Five. He didn't think that he could handle much more of Momo's enthusiasm. "Well we should probably go and meet our new superiors," Toushirou said, pulling his hand free from Momo's grasp.

"Alright," Momo said, offering him a smile before they parted ways. "I'll see you later Hitsugaya-kun."

Toushirou was so stunned that it took him a moment to move. She had actually called him by his last name in stead of that vile nickname. That had just made everything that he had endured in the Academy worth it. He was finally rid of the nickname that he hated.

Snapping back to reality the young prodigy left the Academy grounds for the last time and made his way across the Seireitei toward the Squad Ten barracks. He knew that they were all supposed to go and meet with their new squad captain and he was in somewhat of a hurry to do that. For some reason he had heard very little about the man who was in charge of Squad Ten and the boy had no idea what kind of leader he would turn out to be.

"I guess I'll find out," he muttered to himself as he walked.

"So cute!" a woman's voice cut through the air.

Toushirou stiffened as he felt arms encircle him and pull him into a tight hug. His eyes narrowed in anger at the sudden attack however they opened wide as he felt his head push against something that was oddly. . . soft. The boy flushed in embarrassment as he realized what the something was and he pulled away fiercely.

The woman held on for all that she was worth until a calm voice said, sounding somewhat amused, "Alright now Rangiku-san. I think you should let him go now."

"Fine," the woman huffed, releasing her hold on the young boy.

Toushirou immediately whirled around and his eyes grew even larger as he realized who it was that had grabbed him. "It's you!"

Matsumoto's eyes lit up as she recognized the child that she had found in the Rukongai. "What are you doing roaming around here? Shouldn't you be at the Academy?"

"Honestly Rangiku-chan," the man who was standing beside her said, running a hand through his hair. "You really should learn to pay more attention. The boy graduated tonight so he's probably on his way to which ever squad he was assigned to."

Matsumoto's eyes grew large. "Graduated? But it's only been six months."

"I learn fast," Toushirou snapped, still angry and somewhat embarrassed about what had happened earlier. "Now if you'll excuse me I'm on my way to Squad Ten to meet with the captain."

"You were assigned to Squad Ten?" the man asked, his curiosity piqued.

Toushirou gave a brief nod.

"That's wonderful," the man exclaimed, his face lighting up. It was obvious that the child didn't know who he was without his haori and this could prove to be somewhat amusing. "We'll accompany you there."

Toushirou was confused by the man's actions however he nodded and fell into step beside the two weirdoes that he had met while on his way to meet with his knew captain. The trio made their way across the Seireitei, arriving at the Squad Ten barracks without further incident.

There was a smile on the strange man's face as he led the way down a corridor that he said would take them to the captain's office and for the life of him Toushirou couldn't figure out why. There wasn't really anything entertaining about the situation and yet the man couldn't seem to wipe that goofy grin off of his face.

"Weirdo," the boy thought to himself.

When they reached the door that led into the office the man casually slid it open without even bothering to knock and stepped inside. Now Toushirou was on the alert. Was this some kind of joke or was the man going to attempt to cause trouble?

"Don't just stand there," the man called out from within. "Come in."

Toushirou stepped into the office, aided by a small shove from Matsumoto, and his teal eyes widened in surprise when he saw that the strange man was now wearing a white haori. "What. . . what the hell is going on?"

"Now, now," the man said, shaking his finger. "Is that any way to address your captain?"

"Captain?" Toushirou repeated.

The man nodded. "Isshin Shiba, Captain of Squad Ten."

The man was still wearing that goofy grin and Toushirou suddenly had a feeling that he had just gotten in over his head. Perhaps he had been wrong when he'd thought that it didn't really matter to which squad he was assigned. It was looking as thought he would rue the day that he was assigned to Squad Ten.

"Don't look so worried kid," the man said, offering him a smile. "We're not so bad. So what's your name anyway?"

"Toushirou Hitsugaya."

"Ah," Isshin said, the smile still plastered on his face. "Well then, welcome to Squad Ten Shirou-chan."

The frustrated screams of the boy could be heard echoing throughout the entire Squad Ten complex.

A/N- No idea where this little one-shot came from but I hope that you enjoyed it. And on another note, this is my 50th fic so it's a milestone!


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